Combined house heating and vacuum cleaning system



Patented Aug. 24, 1926.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH M. CESA, OF ANTIOCH,I.CALIFORNIA.

COMBINED HOUSE .I-IEATING Ann vacuum CLEANING SYSTEM.

Application filed July as, 1925." Serial No. 46,570.

This invention relates to combined house heating and vacuum cleaning installations, adapted for use in residential buildings generally.

In my copending application on a heating apparatus filed March 9th, 1925, under .Serial No. 14,116, I contemplated heating all the rooms of a house from a single open fireplace. This was done by means of a system comprising a hot air box in the fireplace, an air pipe leading to the box, an outlet pipe from the box having branches discharging into different rooms, and an electrically driven blower for forcing air through the intake and into the box and outlet pipe.

The principal object of my present invention is to connect an extension arrangement of piping to said system which will enable vacuum cleaning operations to be carried out in the different rooms with the aid of the same blower used'in connection with the heating system.

The motor which drives the blower is made reversible, so that when rotating in one direction, the blower will act to force air through the heat pipes; while when the motor is rotating in the opposite direction, the blower serves as a suction fan, causing air to be sucked through the extension piping from the different rooms.

The latter piping is connected to the air intake pipe between the blower and the hot air box, and automatically operating valve means are provided so that when air is being blown into the hot air box no air will be sucked through the extension piping and vice versa; as will be seen hereinafter.

Thus a single motor and blower serve a double function, and the sweeping or vacuum cleaning appliances, to be connected to the individual outlets from the vacuum pipe, may be of the very simplest nature, such as nozzles of any of the different shapes commonly used connected to a length of hose which is attached to any one of the outlets which may be desired.

Such nozzles having no weighty motor and other apparatus to be moved therewith, are easy and light to handle and hence may be used to clean not only floors but walls and shelves, clothes, and the like with but very little physical exertion on the part of the operator.

These objects I accomplish by means o such structure and relative arrangement of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of ref Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional View of a building showing my apparatus installed therein.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a vacuum pipe outlet detached.

parts as will fully appear by a perusal of Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes an open fireplace of co1nmon construction, 2 the floor of the building, and 3 a conventional partition wall between adjacent rooms.

My heating apparatus, as also shown in the above mentioned co-pending application, comprises a hot air box 4. placed in and lying against the back of thefireplace.

An air intake 5 leads to the bottom of the box from a combined blower and suction fan 6 which is preferably located in the basement of the building and driven by a reversible motor 7. An intake pipe 8 (or the outlet pipe, as the case may be) of the blower preferably leads outside thebuilding.

From the top of the box 41 on outlet pipe 9 leads downwardly to a point below and then runs along under the floor 2, with a branch 10 having an air distributing register 11 leading therefrom in each room to be heated.

The above constitutes my heating system, which I do not materially alter from the previous arrangement.

My vacuum cleaning extension comprises a main suction pipe 12 extending horizontally under the floor 2. Said pipe has laterals 13 projecting upwardly therefrom into the partitions 3, and outlets 14 leading from each lateral to adjacent rooms. These outlets are preferably close to the floor and project through the usual base board, or in some similar convenient location.

The pipe 12 is connected to the pipe 5 by means of a special T fitting 15. This fitting has a flap valve 16 above the pipe 12 opening upwardly only; and another similar valve in its side, to control communication with the pipe 12, and opening only away from said pipe or toward the blower.

In operation therefore it will be seen that if air is forced upwardy through the pipe 5 from the blower, the valve 17 will be closed and the valve 16 opened, allowing air to enter the box t. 7

If the direction of rotation of the blower is reversed, a suction will be induced in the lower aortion of the pipe 5. This will cause the valve 16 to be closed preventing air from being drawn through the hot air piping. At the same time the valve 17 will be opened, causing suctional force to be set up in the pipe 12 and its connected laterals. Therefore if the hose 18 of a vacuum cleaning or sweeping device is attached to any of the outlets 14 the necessary vacuum or suctional action will be had through such device.

In order to eliminate the necessity of providing each outlet 14: with a manually operated valve, 1 provide a hinged fiap cover 19 over the outer end of each outlet havinga rubber gasket 20 on its inner face sealing the entrance to said outlet. When it device as substantially fufills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention,ras defined by the appended claims. 1

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A house installation comprising in combination an air pipe terminating at one end in a room of the house, a combined blower antL suctionfan connected to the op posite end of the pipe, air heating means interposed in the pipe intermediate its ends, and a vacuum pipe leading from the air pipe between the heating means and the fan to a termination in a room of -the house. r

2. A structure as in claim 1, in which an automatically operating flap valve is mounted in the air pipe adjacent but beyond tie connection .of said air pipe with the vacuum pipe and opening away from the latter, and a similar valve openingtoward the air pipe, is-mounted in the vacuum pipe adjacent the air pipe.

In testimony whereof I aliiX my signature. .7

JOSEPH M. CESA. 

